Global change and moral uncertainty: why do Cambodian women seek refuge in Buddhism?

Abstract

Using Cambodia as a case study, this article takes an anthropological stance to explore how the penetration of global neoliberal values impacts upon understandings of moral order and thereby influences gender-based violence in war-torn societies. It argues that the International Monetary Fund's structural adjustment programmes and radical free-market reforms affect not only the politico-economic climate but also moral, social and cosmological order. This can generate fears about the decay of 'culture' and, since female propriety is often equated with national virtue, the female body may then be subjected to intense policing and violent disciplining. The article describes how some Cambodian women are responding to violations by seeking moral rehabilitation in the Buddhist temple. Although the patriarchal structure of the temple may seem to be anything but empowering for women, religious participation by violated women makes cultural sense. The material presented here therefore challenges us to consider whether Cambodia's brutal history and supposedly misogynistic culture is experienced as the greatest threat for vulnerable women today, or whether it is the absorption of war-torn societies by the global system, and the cultural disintegration this is felt to engender, that is the more pernicious factor.

The Cultural Epigenesis of Gender-Based Violence in Cambodia: Local and Buddhist Perspectives

“…The Handbook for Village Facilitators misinterprets this saying to mean simply that ‘a woman should be submissive to her husband and that domestic violence is an internal affair’ (Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Interior 2010 ), but the sense of the saying is more subtle than that. In the end, stigma and the cultural imperative to keep family problems out of view by ‘keeping quiet and doing nothing’ to preserve family harmony (Kent 2011 ) is another factor that undermines the power of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of the Victims.…”

“…The aim of this article is to discover how the ‘insider’ views the causes and effects of GBV in Cambodia. In so doing, my focus is not so much on violence against women across the board, such as violence against female household heads who are the weakest parties in land-related human rights abuses (Kent 2011 ) or of female human rights defenders, but on intimate partner violence. My central theme is to reveal the perceived causes of GBV in Cambodia.…”

“…In an echo of Galtung, it is true that ‘Religious institutions can be vital allies in shifting norms around violence but equally can be responsible for defending violations of women and girls’ rights’ (Action Aid and Moosa 2012 ). The Buddhist temple provides some opportunities for abused women to seek refuge and recovery (Kent 2011 ). If they are to do more, by shifting norms of violence, the best way for this to happen is by understanding the good they can do and encouraging them to do so, rather than by criticising Buddhism as a conservative force for gender inequality.…”

Clouding the Judgment of Domestic Violence Law: Victim Blaming by Institutional Stakeholders in Cambodia

“…It is within this fatalistic framework and within the confines of prevailing gender norms that women are often encouraged to endure the violence they encounter. In the Cambodian context then, Kent (2011) writes that the international rhetoric about empowering women and raising their awareness of their rights therefore needs to be scrutinized in light of the fact that real economic pressures in interplay with cultural factors may increase of the vulnerability of many women. (p. 406) …”

“…The women’s code deals predominantly with obeying and respecting spouses by keeping “fire in the house.” This Cambodian Buddhist expression embodies the idea that to maintain a harmonious household, women are responsible for suppressing three fires of potential conflict connected with their relationships to parents, husbands, and “others.” Women should not bring fire from outside into the house, not take fire inside the house outside, and should take care not to spread or overheat fires. Given its casting of DV as a private family affair, the Chbab Srei is regularly highlighted as a barrier to the alleviation of this human rights abuse and reflects the interplay of cultural factors that Kent (2011) raises.…”